Installation for setting and glueing facing tiles to backing material

ABSTRACT

An installation for setting tiles and gluing them to a backing material wherein the device for feeding the tiles along the chutes into the magazine has a mechanism for pressing the tiles to the chutes at their discharge ends and a mechanism for pushing the tiles into the magazine whose outer wall has a folding-outward upper part; the rotating drum feeding the tiles onto the moving backing material has cells for the tiles and a mechanism for pushing the tiles from the magazine into these cells.

Sept. 5, 1972 E. 'r. SAMODAEV EI'AL 3,689,351

INSTALLATION FOR SETTING AND GLUEING FACING TILES T0 BACKING MATERIAL Filed June 26, 1970 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG! Sept. 5, 1972 5,1, SAMODAEVY ETAL 3,689,351

INSTALLATION FOR SETTING AND GLUEING FACING TILES T0 BACKING MATERIAL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 26, 1970 United States Patent US. Cl. 156-552 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An installation for setting tiles and glueing them to a backing material wherein the device for feeding the tiles along the chutes into the magazine has a mechanism for pressing the tiles to the chutes at their discharge ends and a mechanism for pushing the tiles into the magazine whose outer wall has a folding-outward upper part; the rotating drum feeding the tiles onto the moving backing material has cells for the tiles and a mechanism for pushing the tiles from the magazine into these cells.

The present invention relates to the installations for setting facing tiles and glueing them to a backing material, e.g. paper, fabric, etc.

Known in the art are installations for setting tiles and glueing them to a paper tape comprising a device for feeding tiles onto the paper tape which latter is moved by a conveyor.

The feeding device consists of a hopper and a system of inclined chutes.

The main part of the mechanism, placing the tiles on a moving glue-coated paper tape is a rotating drum, which presses the tiles to a paper tape (see, for example, patent 2f )the Federal German Republic No. 816,071, Cl. 80a,

Such installations fail to ensure continuous feeding of tiles onto the chutes since the tiles in the hopper are in a disorderly state and can be jammed on leaving the hopper. v 1

Besides, the tiles moving along the chutes climb on one another and fail to be arranged in one layer.

Other known installations comprise a tile magazine located above a conveyor whose belt picks the tiles from the bottom part of the magazine and feeds them to the glue-coated paper tape (see patent of Federal German Republic No. 835,729, (:1. 80a, 61).

In view of the fact that the known installations have no mechanisms for the uniform distribution of tiles over the backing material, they cannot produce tile carpets with a uniform pitch of the tiles in the longitudinal and lateral directions.

An object of the invention resides in providing an installation for setting and glueing facing tiles on a backing material which would ensure the arrangement of tiles in one layer on the chutes and a continuous feed of the tiles to the drum.

Another object of the invention resides in providing an installation which would ensure uniform distribution of the tiles over the backing material and production of tile carpets with a constant tile pitch which is necessary for aligning the tile rows while lining various structures and parts with such tile carpets.

3,689,351 Patented Sept. 5, 1972 These and other objects are achieved by providing an installation for setting tiles and glueing them to a backing material comprising a device for feeding tiles over inclined parallel chutes to the magazine located before a rotating drum which carries the tiles onto the moving backing material, in which, according to the invention, the tilefeeding device is provided with a mechanism for pressing the tiles down to the chutes at their discharge ends, said mechanism having a row of spring-loaded elements arranged across the chutes above their discharge ends, and a mechanism for pushing the tiles into the magazine said mechanism being also provided with a row of springloaded elements arranged across the chutes and located above the magazine; the upper part of the magazine outer wall can be folded outwards, whereas the rotating drum has cells for the tiles and a mechanism for pushing them from the magazine into said cells. r

It is practicable that the mechanism for pushing the tiles from the magazine should consist of a rack installed in the bottom of the magazine, and of cams installed on the drum rim and acting on the rack through a system of levers.

Each chute of the tile-feeding device may be provided with a flexible element laid on top of the chute and reciprocating along it.

The mechanism for pressing the tiles down to the chutes allows the row of tiles to be arrested at the discharge ends of the chutes thus facilitating free movement of the preceding row of tiles into the magazine.

The mechanism for pushing the tiles into the magazine prevents the tiles from jamming in the magazine while the folding part of the outer wall of the magazine prevents the upper row of tiles in the magazine from being wedged between the next row of tiles and the magazine wall.

Thus, the design of the tile-feeding device in the claimed installation ensures continuous delivery of tiles into the drum while the flexible element reciprocating along each chute ensures one-layer arrangement of the tiles moving along the chutes.

The drum carrying the tiles to the moving backing material has cells for the tiles which ensures the production of tile carpets with a constant tile pitch.

T he mechanism for pushing the tiles from the magazine into the drum cells prevents the drum from being jammed when the tiles fall accidentally out of the magazine.

The invention will become more apparent from the drawings illustrating an embodiment of the installation for making tile carpets in the form of a continuous tape, wherein FIG. 1 is a general, side view of the installation according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the same.

FIG. 3 is a general view of a part of the installation, i.e. a device for setting tiles and the drum with 'a mechanism for pushing out tiles (enlarged).

FGI. 4 is a general view of a part of the installation, i.e. mechanisms for pressing down and pushing tiles (enlarged).

The installation illustrated in the drawings consists of a charging device 1 (FIGS. 1, 2), a device 2 for feeding the tiles, a rotating drum 3 for placing tiles on a paper tape, a device 4 for unwinding the paper roll and cutting it along its width, a device 5 for coating the paper tape with glue, a belt conveyor 6, a drying chamber 7, shears 8 and a device 9 for winding a finished tile carpet into a roll.

The tile-feeding device consists of a vibrating hopper 10, a number of belt conveyors 11 running parallel to one another; the conveyors are continued by inclined chutes 12 with chains 13 (FIG. 3) reciprocating along said chutes, a mechanism 14 for pressing tiles to the bottom of the chutes 12, said mechanism having a row of spring-loaded cylindrical elements arranged across the chutes, a mechanism 16 for pushing the tiles forward, likewise having an identical row of spring-loaded cylindrical elements 17, and a magazine 18 with the upper part 1 9 of its outer Wall folding outwards.

The row of elements 15 is located above the discharge ends of the chutes while the row of elements 17 is located above the magazine 18.

The cylindrical surface of the rotating drum 3 is provided with cells 20 for the tiles and with mechanisms 21 for pushing the tiles out of the magazine 18.

The mechanism 21 has cams 22 on the rim of the drum 3, a system of levers 23 and a rack 24 which pushes the lower row of tiles out of the magazine 18.

The installation described above functions as follows.

The tiles are fed from a calcinator by the charging device 1 (FIGS. 1 and 2) into the vibrating hopper 10 wherein the tiles are sorted out according to size.

Then the tiles are fed onto the belt conveyors 11 and thence onto the inclined chutes 12.

Being pressed down by the weight of the chains 13 and owing to the reciprocating motion of said chains along the chutes 12, the tiles move in one layer under these chains along the chutes.

As the tiles fill the inclined chutes 12, the first row of tiles bears against the upper part 19 of the wall of the magazine which has previously been filled full with tiles.

Then the tiles of the second row are pressed by the mechanism 14 against the bottom of the chutes 12 and the upper part 19 of the Wall of the magazine 18 is folded down.

Then the tiles of the first row are pushed by the mechanism 16 into the magazine 18, from which the lower row of tiles has previously been pushed out into the cells 20 of the drum 3.

The mechanisms 14 and 16 operate as follows.

During the rotation of the drum 3, the gear 25 (FIG. 4) via gears 26 drives the eccentric shaft 27 which actuates rods 28 rigidly connected with the strips 29 on which spring-loaded cylindrical elements 15 and 17 are secured.

With the aid of levers 30 the eccentric shaft 27 also actuates the upper folding part 19 of the magazine wall.

When the row of empty cells of the drum 3 passes under the magazine 18, the lower row of tiles is pushed out by the mechanism 21 into these cells.

The mechanism 21 operates as follows.

During the rotation of the drum 3, the cams 22 actuate 4 the rack 24 via the levers 23 and said rack pushes the tiles out of the magazine.

The tiles located in the cells 20 of the drum 3 during the rotation of the latter are moved until they come in contact with the paper tape 31 which has been already coated with glue by the device 5.

The paper tape is pressed by rollers 32 to the tiles and the latter are glued to the tape.

The formed tile carpet 33 is fed by the conveyor 6 into the drying chamber 7 (FIG. 1).

The finished tile carpet is wound by the mechanism 9 into a roll and is cut by the shears 8, if necessary.

What we claim is:

1. An installation for setting tiles and glueing them to a backing material comprising a device for feeding tiles consisting of inclined parallel chutes, a tile magazine with the upper part of its outer wall being capable of folding outwards; a mechanism for pressing the tiles down to said chutes at their discharge ends, said mechanism being provided with a row of spring-loaded elements arranged across the chutes at their discharge ends; a mechanism for pushing the tiles into the magazine provided with a row of spring-loaded elements arranged above the magazine across the chutes; a rotating drum with cells for the tiles and a mechanism for pushing the tiles from the magazine into said cells.

2. An installation according to claim 1 wherein the mechanism for pushing the tiles out of the magazine has a rack installed in the bottom of the magazine, cams secured to the drum rim, and a system of levers through which said cams actuate said rack.

3. An installation according to claim 1 wherein above each chute of the tile-feeding device there is a flexible element reciprocating along the chute.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,130,106 4/1964 Bornand 156-552 3,032,211 5/1962 Wordsworth 221251 X 1,379,160 5/1921 Benson 156303 3,128,875 4/1964 Kay et a1 198-221 BENJAMIN A. B-ORCHELT, Primary Examiner J. M. HANLEY, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 156-302, 559 

